Police investigate Joanna Cherry Twitter death threats

Police have begun an investigation into social media death threats against SNP MP Joanna Cherry.

Ms Cherry said she had received two threatening tweets which the Metropolitan Police are investigating under the Communications Act 2003.

The force previously deemed another tweet not to have met the criminal threshold for an offence.

Ms Cherry shared a screenshot of a post in which a user threatened to "kill" the MP with their "bare hands".

The MP for Edinburgh South West also shared the second post from the same author, which said, in reference to her and two other MPs: "Each of them should be murdered in broad daylight on a crowded street."

Ms Cherry said on Twitter: "I am hoping the Metropolitan police will reconsider their decision on the criminality of the first tweet threatening to kill me in the light of the second tweet threatening not just my life but that of two other MPs (Rosie Duffield) & (Neale Hanvey)."

Joanna Cherry has previously spoken out about her battle with online trolls.

In 2021, Grant Karte was given a 160-hour community payback order and ordered not to contact Ms Cherry for five years after sending her "grossly offensive" messages.

Ms Cherry later condemned the SNP "hierarchy" for not acknowledging the incident.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: "On Tuesday, June 13 the Met was made aware of a tweet received by a serving MP.

"The contents were assessed and it was deemed it did not meet the criminal threshold for an offence."

The force added that following a further tweet linked to the same account an investigation was launched.

"We take the safety and security of MPs extremely seriously and our parliamentary liaison and investigation team works with colleagues from local police forces through the Operation Bridger network and the Parliamentary Security Department to provide MPs and their constituency teams with support and advice in relation to their safety and security," the spokesperson said.